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Cologne Germany and Beyond
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Wife is getting paid to go to Cologne for a week so she said I can come along.

Plan is for me to entertain myself in and around Cologne while she works then for us to travel to Switzerland and Paris for 5 or 6 days then home.

Initial thoughts for me around Cologne:
- Oktoberfest
- WWII history
- anything else within two hours of Cologne by train

Initial thoughts for wife and I travelling:
- She loves the mountains and lakes and HAS to go to Paris(unless I figure a way to get her to Santarinni).
- Lucerne - https://www.buergenstock.ch/en
-Zermat(Matterhorn)
- Laussane, Switzerland
- Paris

Any ideas or warnings would be appreciated.

Also, If anyone has some extra tickets to the Ryder Cup in Paris on the 29th & 30th of September let me know.

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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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A few things to keep in mid:

- Oktoberfest in predominantly a Bavarian thing, whereas Koln (Cologne) is a major urban centre in North Rhine-Westphalia. Oktoberfest in Koln is a little like European tourists going to NYC to get a cowboy hat and enjoying the American Wild-west experience.
- Koln and Germany in general is not the place WW2 history. Other than being bombed badly near the end, the Koln area was not a major player in most of the war (unless you want to see factories that produced armaments?). You would have to drive/train to Belgium to get what you're looking for. Your trip to Paris will offer much better WW2 monuments and point of interest.

The #1 tourist spot in Koln is Der Dom (Cologne Cathedral in English). Even if you don't care about the religious aspect, its just damn impressive and took hundreds of years to build during the medieval times.

Disclaimer: I lived there for a year... in the 80's

Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's
Last edited by: Guffaw: Aug 15, 18 10:28
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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I'd skip lucerne and lausanne for zermatt

Paris is amazing. Santarrini is no Paris but Ravello........

As to ryder cup. Mine have had photos so not sure how that would work

I suppose you might consider, cologne to alps (zermatt or cham) to Milan to ravello

Or cologbe to alps to Paris

The man in seat 61 can help with all of it

I am biased to cham over zermatt but I've spent 6-8 weeks in one per year for a decade
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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Been many years but you'll definitely want to see the cathedral as I remember it as being quite impressive and they would let you go right to the top level, at least in those days. I also remember a cool downtown gasthaus with some really hot looking frauleins, but as mentioned it was years ago so they'd be my age nowadays. :-(
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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A relaxing activity that can be done from Cologne as a home-base would be to take a river boat trip up the Rhein (that is, towards the south). I'm not sure what scenarios are currently in play. I think the stretch from Koblenz to Mainz is the better part. When I did this, you could take a train to Mainz, hop on the boat and ride to Koblenz, and then take a train back into Cologne. Or, simply take the boat all the way from Cologne to Mainz and take a train back (or vice versa). Vineyards & castles along the way. There may be similar river trips between Koblenz and Cochem on the Mosel river, which is smaller and less trafficked.

In Cologne, I expect there must still be a famous beer hall/restaurant near the cathedral called 'Fruh', where they serve their version of the local beer (Kolsch) in small cylindrical glasses. Waiters are constantly circulating with trays of the glasses, and you just keep asking for more as long as you'd like to keep drinking. (Every now and again it's polite to invite the waiter to drink one with you at your expense.) The beer is not great (unless it happens to be hot & sunny, in which case I'm not sure there's anything better), but it's a fun time. Near the cathedral is a museum showing artifacts from Roman times that can fill a bit of time.

If you're road-tripping south towards Switzerland along the Rhein, I would consider stops in Heidelberg, Strasbourg (France) and Freiburg along the way to sample other bits of western Germany. Or, leave your wife in Cologne and do some of this exploring on your own (train travel up & down the Rhein valley is quite straightforward). I spent a summer living in Cologne in the 80s. It's a pleasant enough place, but except for the Cathedral, most of it was bombed flat in WWII, so there is is not a whole lot of distinctive character there.
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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I think you are biting off too much with your plan for that extra 5-6 days post-Cologne in trying to do both the Swiss Alps and Paris. Places like Zermatt aren't easy to get to, which is one of the reasons to go. However, that's also a negative. It's going to take you an entire day to do that travel to each location, which means you just spent between 1/3 to 40% of your extra 5-6 days riding around on trains (which doesn't suck, especially in the Swiss Alps, but I would find a better way to use my valuable days off). If your wife is adamant about Paris, I would look to make my 2nd destination something closer to Cologne and Paris than the Swiss Alps. For example, the Champagne region of France is in between the 2. Or if you are looking for WWII tourism, combine Normandy with Paris.
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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I really like Germany and Paris is fun too. I'd make sure you're not trying to fit to much in so you have time to really enjoy your trip.

Paris is fun but I think going up the Eiffel Tower is a waste of time especially since you're trying to fit a lot into your trip.
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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There is not a lot to do in Köln. You can go to the Dom and drink some Kölsch but that’s about it. That will take one afternoon.

Someone mentioned a river boat trip on the Rhein. Are you over the age of 85?

If you’re interested in WWII history then take the train to Berlin. I think it’s about 3 hours on the ICE. I live in Berlin and I can send you a list of things to do and see. Berlin is not a beautiful city like Munich or Heidelberg, but the history is fascinating.

Heidelberg is worth visiting. I lived there for two years when I first moved to Germany and it is both beautiful and a great place to run and bike. There is a huge triathlon scene around Heidelberg. During my first week there I shared a lane with Normann Stadler.
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [slink] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks all so far for the information.

I do think we are trying to do to much and would rather take another week off but.....

I will look around tonight and see about alternative places besides the Swiss Alps but her best friend just got back from there with some great photos. The wife is technically paying since she has to work the first few days.

In trying to answer other questions, I am looking to use the trains but may fly if needed. Im not 85. I like beer.

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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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Seat 61 will help

It is a lot of travel
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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as everyone's said, the cathedral is something. my wife and i biked the rhine river a few summers ago, and if you had time to kill you could do worse than to rent a bike and go rolling along the shores. if you head south (which is admittedly slightly uphill), you get toward koblenz and more of the pretty 'romantic rhine.' nice scenery. if you can get away overnight, that would be great - a 2 or 3 day mini-tour.


as for paris and the alps, if you have to do all three, your best play is probably to take the TGV from paris to zurich (or basel/bern). it's a few hours direct. for the alp-y experience in limited time i might suggest going somewhere like lauterbrunnen - it's convenient to transport and accessible to the bigger hubs but still outrageously beautiful. i'd not bother with lausanne. lucerne is nice enough - a pretty town, sort of a mini-zurich. paris is just. . . paris. it's an adult dose.

for what it's worth i'm based in zurich and used to live in germany; happy to help out if i can.

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http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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As an alternative to Zermatt (super touristy) head to Riederalp or Saas Fee for a more authentic alpine experience. Both are about the same travel from Visp station. Visp is the main hub for this area when you're coming from Zurich.

Riederalp has some nice hiking trails that are above the Aletschgletscher. I believe this glacier is the largest in Europe. My good friend Dominik and his dad run a mountain guide service and have regular tours where you go down on the glacier which is pretty cool http://www.bergsteigerschule-riederalp.ch/programm.html. Dominik speaks good English. It is not advised to go onto the glacier without a guide, the crevasses are significant and shouldn't be underestimated.

Also Saas Fee is nice. My wife and I have stayed at the Wellness 4000 Jugendherberge (Youth Hostel) before and it is very nice, modern and a good value. There's a really nice spa area at the hostel for an extra cost that I think is worth it. There are floor to ceiling windows overlooking the forest/mountains from the saunas that are amazing. Note Swiss spas typically don't allow swimsuits, but they give you a wrap for modesty. It's consider unsanitary to wear a bathing suit. They should only be worn in the Hallenbad area (swimming pool).

"Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude."
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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 Laussane was very nice. Stayed in nearby Vevey. Couldn't afford a damn thing in Switzerland. Sticker shock everywhere you look. Hell, just to drive into the country cost 50 somethings (francs, euros? don't remember)

Just give into and enjoy Paris. Don't bother with a car there. Drop it off in a small town outside Paris and take the train in. Go everywhere by subway or train in the biggest cities. It's not the driving, it's the parking. Walk the markets. Buy good cheese, bread (1st thing in the morning) and wine. Schedule 3 hours for dinner. Avoid eating around major tourist areas. Do eat around upper/middle class areas.

Consider renting a car for all but Paris. Driving through the France countryside was the most relaxed driving I've ever had. Just roundabouts, lots to look at. Germany a different world with its autobahns.
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [knewbike] [ In reply to ]
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Driving on the autobahn is extremely easy. Just keep in mind when passing that someone coming up behind you in the left lane may be doing up to 200km/hr.

Driving in a German city is much more difficult because the traffic lights are on the wrong side of the road and the traffic signs seem to be hidden in the trees.
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [slink] [ In reply to ]
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Looks like we are narrowing our stops to Lucerne and Paris unless something jumps out at us like Mike telling us he has a free 5 star available for us in Zurich. Just need to decide on train or plane & train to get there from cologne. I have looked at the man in seat 61 but there is a lot of information so still digesting.

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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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SRQ_3sport wrote:
Just need to decide on train or plane & train to get there from cologne

Since you are there to enjoy the tourist aspect I would suggest train - even if its slightly more expensive - you will get a much better vista of the German and Swiss country side.

Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [Guffaw] [ In reply to ]
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That is where we are leaning. Only reason to fly would be timing and it might actually be longer than a train.

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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [slink] [ In reply to ]
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slink wrote:
Driving on the autobahn is extremely easy. Just keep in mind when passing that someone coming up behind you in the left lane may be doing up to 200km/hr.

Driving in a German city is much more difficult because the traffic lights are on the wrong side of the road and the traffic signs seem to be hidden in the trees.

Easy yes, but not relaxing. I stuck to 160kph in the 3rd lane out of 5. The roundabouts tended to be a bit bigger around so people could enter them faster.
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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Train tickets

The costs between different websites is crazy. It is worst than travelocity, kayak, etc. Loco2 has the best prices so far though.

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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [slink] [ In reply to ]
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slink wrote:
Someone mentioned a river boat trip on the Rhein. Are you over the age of 85?

Heidelberg is worth visiting. I lived there for two years when I first moved to Germany and it is both beautiful and a great place to run and bike. There is a huge triathlon scene around Heidelberg. During my first week there I shared a lane with Normann Stadler.

Bwahahahaha. I totally agree. I did the boat trip thing and besides seeing the mermaid statues and a few castles; yeah, it was boring.

I also visited Heidelberg when I was in Dortmund for work. Friend of mine was there for her post-doc and it definitely is a beautiful town. She also swam with some pros and was shocked when she was about to get out of the pool, looked up from the water, and saw one of the athletes changing on deck above her hahaha. They're a lot more open out there.

We hopped on a train to Lausanne to hang out with another triathlete friend of ours. Beautiful town and there was a festival going on at the time so we had a lot of fun. I had a few more days off so I was able to go to the Montreux jazz fest and took some quick hikes around the nearby mountains. If you like nature, Lausanne is gorgeous. There's a ferry to Evian as well, my ex went on that when she visited during another trip. Switzerland is definitely a beautiful place, but full of rules and I think a lot of shops/businesses close early and on the weekends. Being single, our friend had a really hard time doing basic errands like groceries within her busy work schedule. Stock up on chocolates from Migros!

But if your wife is working, have you thought about some day trips to the Netherlands? It's a lot closer to Koln than France or Switzerland. I totally would've done it if my friends weren't around. You can rent bikes from German train stations, but I think its even more easy in the Netherlands. And I want to see the Lego House!
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [SRQ_3sport] [ In reply to ]
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Make sure your train tickets include a seat reservation. German train tickets give you the right to board the train but not the right to sit down.

You can also buy train tickets directly from the Deutsche Bahn Website.
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Re: Cologne Germany and Beyond [Andrewmc] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the Seat61 advice. Had to go back in forth a couple times but it is a wealth of information.

Ended up taking the scenic route to Lucerne, although I only have tickets to Basel, then Paris.

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